Road to Memories: Start at the Beginning
by Princess-Ikira
Summary: The basic idea this had sprouted from was "What if Lucy never joined Fairy Tail" and it became more. Lucy dies and time gets rewound but goes too far back but Natsu still meets Lucy and brings her back, all the while remembering bits and pieces from before. Please review.
1. Prologue

Prologue

They had to hurry.

She could be in danger.

Mirajane had informed them that Lucy had gone off on a dangerous request alone. Natsu knew it was more than likely his fault. He angered her and she stormed off but when he looked for her to apologize she wasn't anywhere. He told Erza and Gray and that was when they were informed.

As they ran, Gray tripped over a book and fell down. Not paying attention to if it was his or not, he haphazardly stuffed it into his bag and hurried to catch up.

They got to the location for the request, a man with a sinister smile and messed up hair the color of ash was laughing by a lake. When he looked at them and saw their guild insignias he just snickered and left. Erza stopped Gray and Natsu from running after him, pointing to some mist coming from a part of the lake. Gray and Natsu quickly ran and dove in. Only a few minutes later did they emerge with the soaking wet and freezing cold body of Lucy. They laid her down, Erza walking over while Gray frantically checked their friend's vitals and Natsu tried waking her up.

Erza was the first to notice. The mist that had came from part of the lake had come from Lucy's side- the side of her stomach. She had been bitten by something poisonous and clearly the bite was deep, it definitely wasn't from any snake she'd seen. Soon Erza and Natsu were trying to wake her up, get her to breathe, get her heart beating, anything to get her to show some sign of being alive; Gray would have joined them if it weren't for the book he previously picked up falling out of his bag and onto his foot. This time when he picked it up he noticed there was no title. He looked up at his friends, Erza was hiding her face in her hands and shaking, Natsu was openly crying while still trying to get Lucy to wake up; not wanting to look anymore, Gray turned his attention back to the book. When he opened it the first page had "Belongs to" on it but the name was scratched away and unreadable. As he was about to turn the page he noticed a number on the bottom, "435".

435 was the only page with something on it. Foreign- seemingly ancient- words were arranged on the page, in the shape of a star. Gray skimmed through them once in his head, and though they were foreign, they seemed almost warm, like they'd help or comfort him in a way. Looking at them he felt he was elsewhere, that Lucy hadn't died, that Lucy could be saved; And almost instinctively he read the words aloud.

The book shined, letting a warm light embrace all of them.

Time spun.

Something was altered.

Natsu was on a train.


	2. I- Sparkling Smile

"**Sparkling Smile"**

Getting off the train after having rode it twice, Natsu stumbled over to Happy, who was conveniently beside a trash can for him.

They had gone to Hargeon after a friend had told them that Salamander was supposedly there. As they neared the center of town they heard a crowd of girls all squealing and shouting "Oh Salamander!" At hearing that they ran over, only to be disappointed.

However as Natsu and Happy were being ushered away by a few of the girls, Natsu stopped all of a sudden (with a couple girls angrily shouting at him as they left.)

"What's wrong, Natsu?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Natsu grinned at the blue cat who quickly shrugged it off as the continued to walk back to the station. Natsu spaced out every now and then as they walked. He could have sworn something was supposed to happen back there, that something was missing. Furthermore he was really confused, as they had gotten pushed away, an image emerged from the deepest depths of his mind.

An image of a girl, her face mostly hidden save for a bright, almost sparkling smile and shining blonde hair.

He brushed it off and headed back to Fairy Tail with Happy.

After yelling at their friend for the whole Salamander incident and starting a fight in the guild, Natsu had taken up a job. The job was fairly simple, not the type Natsu would usually take if it weren't for him being so distracted and just grabbing one at random. The request was to help someone run away from their home without getting caught. Why this was requested to a guild, Natsu had no idea.

"Maybe they're being kept home by a really powerful wizard!" Happy shouted, adding emphasis on really.

"Oh man, that'd be awesome!" Natsu replied and as he opened his mouth to continue, his jaw dropped.

In front of them was a mansion. As he walked toward it, Happy suddenly lifted him up into the sky. "Natsu we can't get seen" he scolded, flying him to a window toward the right of the building.

Natsu climbed in through the window, Happy flying in afterward, then emitting a gasp before freezing up. Natsu turned around, confused at his friend's sudden shock. Right before him was a young woman who looked about the same age as him. She was looking right at him, her deep brown eyes slowly moving down and looking at his guild insignia.

"Fairy Tail!" she squealed, quietly and with a bright smile. A bright, almost sparkling smile. Natsu's eyes widened, as soon as she smiled the image he had before crept into his mind, with a complete face this time. Was she who had entered his mind? He reached his hand out to touch her, as if she weren't real, but he stopped midway.

The girl tilted her head but just shrugged and took his hand, thinking it as a hand shake. Happy stared at his best friend, confused at how he was acting.

"I'm your client! L-" she got interrupted.

"L...ucy?" Natsu spoke, wondering how he knew her name. Lucy blinked but just nodded, her expression changing from confusion to happiness again.

"Let's go now before someone sees you!" she beckoned, pushing him back toward the window.

"Where are we supposed to take you?" Happy asked as he flew out the window to prepare to get Natsu.

"Take me to Fairy Tail!" She grinned.


	3. II- Rescue Mission

"**Rescue Mission"**

'Mother,

I just recently joined a mage guild called Fairy Tail. It's so great! And I helped Natsu rescue a man named Makao just the other day. Well I have to go now, mom. I love you... Also, please don't tell dad, okay?

Lucy"

Walking into her new apartment, Lucy set an envelope down on a box then went up to her room, only to find Natsu and Happy chilling out on the floor.

"GET OUT" she yelled, pushing Natsu over.

"But we're guests!"

"OUT! I just moved in! There's nothing to see!"

"Come on, Lucy" Happy and Natsu begged in unision.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Lucy got some tea for them after a few minutes. "You both leave after you're done" she spoke, aggrivated. Natsu and Happy grinned at each other.

"So Lucy...You don't seem very experienced with magic" Natsu mentioned after thinking for a moment.

Pouting, Lucy looked down at her drink, "Well..." she trailed off and pulled out her keys. "The first time I tried to run away I got caught so I had to stay. You don't get much useful practice like that, really." Natsu nodded slightly as Lucy held up a silver key. "Oh! Do you two want to see how a spirit and mage create a contract?" she grinned.

Natsu and Happy looked at each other then back to Lucy, nodding quickly. Lucy took a deep breath before holding out the key. "I am connected with the path to the celestial spirit world! Heed my call! Pass through the gate! Open, Gate of the Little Dog! Nicola!"

"Puuuun" Nicola mumbled. Happy stared, making a disturbed expression, however Natsu stared but with an expression of shock. He could have swore he's seen Nicola before. Happy was the next to speak, "Better luck next time..."

"I didn't mess up!" Lucy yelled as she went onto her knees and received a hug from her new spirit.

"..." Natsu hesitated, "Plue...?"

Nicola looked at him. Lucy gasped, "That name is perfect, Natsu!" She looked at Nicola, "From now on, you are named Plue!" Though hard to tell, Plue's expression was that of both sorrow and relief.

It'd been about half an hour since Natsu and Happy have been there. They were talking when Natsu finally spoke up after looking at Plue.

"Lucy," he grinned and spoke in an almost nostalgic tone, "Let's form a team!"

"Team...?"

Happy smiled, "Aye! A team is when people in the guild who work especially well together group up to go on missions together!" Lucy's face lit up at the idea.

"Then we have a 'contract'?" Natsu grinned.

"Mmhmm!"

A day later, Natsu, Lucy and Happy were on a carriage to Shirotsume Town. Natsu was leaning out the carriage window, sick to his stomach when Lucy started talking.

"Natsu, what are we doing? You never told me what the mission was."

Instead of Natsu, it was Happy who replied. "That's because we're not on an official mission."

"...Hah?"

"A few days before you arrived another team from Fairy Tail, Team Shadowgear departed on a mission to Shirotsume town to burn some book; but they haven't come back yet. Me and Natsu overheard the master talking about it and how it shouldn't take this long."

Lucy stared at the blue cat, "So we're going on an unofficial rescue mission."

"Aye."


End file.
